News Release

Flu shots at more places than ever

The timing is still ideal to get your flu shot. Less than a month into the program, the health unit has distributed more than 75,000 doses of flu vaccine to the community.

SIMCOE MUSKOKA – The timing is still ideal to get your flu shot.

Less than a month into the program, the health unit has distributed more than 75,000 doses of flu vaccine to the community.

Business has been brisk, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit’s manager of vaccine preventable disease says, as there are now more than 110 pharmacies participating in the annual influenza immunization campaign, in addition to most health care providers in the region.

“This is encouraging, because the more people who get their flu shots early, the better protected everyone will be,” Mary Ann Holmes said. “It’s more convenient than ever for the whole family.”

The shot protects the individual from the most common circulating strains of the flu, but it also prevents spread to others.

The flu shot is recommended every year, because the flu virus changes from time to time, becoming a new strain that people have little or no defence against. A new vaccine is developed each year based on international monitoring that determines the most common strains currently circulating.

For older adults, the very young and those with weakened immune systems, influenza can have serious consequences, causing complications that may lead to hospitalization or even death.

The health unit has discontinued its own public flu clinics, as pharmacies and health care providers have far outstripped the numbers the health unit has been able to deliver. However, parents of children under five who do not have a health care provider can book appointments for their children at one of the health unit’s regularly scheduled immunization clinics. The clinics are also available for people without Ontario health cards.

Locations where the flu shots are available are all mapped on a provincial website at www.ontario.ca/flu.

For more information about the flu shots, call Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or visit www.simcoemuskokahealth.org.

-30-

Did you find what you were looking for?

Yes

No

What did you like about this page?

How can we improve this page?

Page

Feedback

If you have any questions or concerns that require a response, please contact Health Connection directly.

Thanks for your feedback.

Failed to submit comment. Please try submitting again or contact us at the Health Unit.